Guided Affirmations And Self-Care For Teachers Of Children

Welcome,

Fellow educators and caregivers.

Thank you for choosing to practice guided meditation with me today.

I am Zoenda,

And I am honored to be with you today as we invite a spirit of personal growth and expansion so we can show up as our true selves for the children we are with and for ourselves.

I encourage you to find a quiet space to sit or lie down comfortably as you listen to this recording,

Either with your eyes closed or gently holding a soft gaze.

You may also listen to this recording as you do other activities because your subconscious mind is listening,

Even if you are not actively listening.

There's no need to repeat these affirmations aloud.

First of all,

I encourage you to listen to this several times to access your own peace and guide you toward teaching and working with your children with a spirit of gentleness,

Humor,

Compassion,

And respect.

Your meditation practice has power.

You have power.

You are enough.

We will begin with a few breaths as we get grounded.

Begin slowing down your breath.

Become aware of the seat or surface underneath you.

Find your feet,

Sending them awareness.

Breathing naturally,

Gradually slowing yourself.

Send awareness to your shoulders and let them drop.

Relax your jaw.

Send awareness to your head,

Imagining a long silver strand connected to the crown of your head,

Gently pulling you upright as you connect to the roof over your head,

The sky beyond that,

The sun and moon beyond that,

The galaxy beyond that,

The universe beyond that.

You are safe.

You are protected.

We are together.

Let us begin.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

I am growing at my own pace.

I am on my own path.

I am worthy of kindness.

I am worthy of respect.

I am doing the best that I can in the moment.

I am.

I have choices.

I have control over what words come out of my mouth.

I can take a breath.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

I make no assumptions.

I am curious.

I know that there is so much I don't know.

I know my reality and truth are not the reality and truth of the people around me.

I take nothing personally.

I know that when I take the words and actions of the world around me personally,

I perpetuate my own suffering.

I know that judging is not loving.

Everyone is growing at their own pace.

Everyone is on their own path.

Everyone is worthy of kindness.

Everyone is worthy of respect.

Everyone is doing the best that they can in this moment.

Everyone is.

Everyone has choices.

Everyone has control over what words come out of their mouth.

Everyone can take a breath.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

It takes a village to raise a child.

I am a fundamental part of that village.

I am an adult and I am a model for all children.

I know while children grow and form their sense of self,

They are looking to me to provide them guidance and feedback and nurturing.

I know that while I am gifted with the company of children,

I am a caregiver.

I give care.

I give care to myself so I can give it to the children.

I give kindness to myself so I can give it to the children.

I give compassion to myself so I can give it to the children.

Because of the way we develop,

The way I speak to the children becomes their inner monologue.

I am mindful of what I say,

Both with my words and my actions,

Because I know I am imprinting upon the children when I am with them.

When they are grown and reflect back on how the adults in their village treated them as children,

My students will remember me as a source of inspiration and support.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

I know that children are developing.

Their brains are developing.

Their bodies are developing.

Their capacity for emotional regulation is developing.

Their distress tolerance is developing.

They are not experts.

They are learning.

They will continue to learn their entire lifetimes.

I am not an expert.

I am learning.

I will continue to learn my entire lifetime.

I pause when I am distressed and dysregulated.

Pause.

Breathe.

Pause.

Postpone action until serenity enters.

P-A-U-S-E.

Breathe.

I know that when I am reactive,

I am behaving out of a place of fear-based control.

I know that when I am dysregulated,

The children are watching and learning from me how to manage life's ups and downs.

I know that when I yell at children,

Criticize them,

Shame them,

Or coerce them,

They are learning that they,

Too,

Should solve conflicts with criticism,

Shaming,

And coercion to get their needs met,

Or may allow others to criticize,

Shame,

And coerce them.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

Connection,

Rupture,

Repair.

All of my relationships have opportunities for repair.

Repair is essential to building and maintaining trust.

I practice repair.

Repair can be messy and imperfect.

I am messy and imperfect.

I am perfectly imperfect.

Children are perfectly imperfect.

Children are divine gifts from the universe.

I am a divine gift from the universe.

This moment is a divine gift from the universe.

I meet this moment with a spirit of love,

L-O-V-E,

Letting others voluntarily evolve.

I am evolving.

I practice acceptance for myself,

For all of my imperfections,

With compassion,

Gentleness,

Humor,

Love,

And respect.

I practice acceptance for the children and people around me,

For all their imperfections,

With compassion,

Gentleness,

Humor,

Love,

And respect.

They deserve that.

I deserve that.

I prioritize peace in my home and in my classroom.

They deserve that.

I deserve that.

I prioritize a spirit of power with,

Not power over,

In my home and in my classroom.

They deserve that.

I deserve that.

I prioritize authentic and safe connection.

I know that humans are hardwired to connect,

And I know that children's sense of connection is tied to their survival.

I am reframing attention-seeking behavior as connection-seeking behavior.

I see that behavior is based on making a bid for connection.

My children are learning to connect,

And I am guiding them towards healthy connection skills that they might not have learned yet.

The children in my classroom come from a wide variety of home situations.

Some of my students feel safe,

Happy,

Appreciated,

And confident at home.

Some of my students feel afraid,

Lonely,

Enraged,

And unworthy at home.

I know that some of my children have developed behaviors and survival traits to operate in the world because their surroundings necessitated it.

I know that I developed behaviors and survival traits to operate in the world because my surroundings necessitated it.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

As an adult,

I am beginning to heal my own unaddressed pain,

Grief,

Anger,

And sadness.

I forgive myself for not having had the tools to process my emotions safely at the time,

And I recognize that the unprocessed feelings have stayed in my system.

I am learning to see my feelings,

Name my feelings,

And process my feelings.

I know that feelings are not facts.

Feelings are temporary,

Waves washing over me and through me,

Wind blowing around me and through me.

I acknowledge my feelings for what they are without judgment,

Without shame.

I have no place for shame in my life,

Should have already mastered everything,

Is no longer a guideline for life that I will perpetuate in my sacred home space nor in my classroom.

I do not speak in should language to myself nor to my children.

I am strong and vulnerable.

I am clear and gentle.

I prioritize values that uplift peace in our space.

I give clear,

Kind boundaries.

I remind myself and my children that mistakes are opportunities for learning.

Mistakes are data collection.

Mistakes lead to great discovery.

Mistakes are mere bumps in the road as we journey on our paths.

Perfection is an illusion.

To compare is to despair.

In my heart,

I know that life is happening with me and for me,

Not at me nor to me.

If I don't know it in my heart yet,

I will remind myself.

Life is happening with me and for me.

Life is happening.

I am a source of light for myself as I grow,

Learn,

And expand.

I speak to myself with gentleness,

Humor,

Compassion,

And respect.

I am a source of light for the children I am raising in the village of my classroom and school as their caregiver with gentleness,

Humor,

Kindness,

And respect.

I am breathing in now.

I am breathing out now.

I am letting go of what is outside of my control.

I am releasing what isn't mine to hold.

Slowly allow yourself to become present in your space.

Open your eyes.

Stretch your arms.

Roll your neck gently to one side,

Bringing an ear towards your shoulder,

Then towards the other side,

Rolling your chin towards your chest and other ear towards that shoulder.

Welcome back.

From my heart to yours,

I thank you.

I appreciate you.

I see you and all of the work you are doing with and for our children and community.

Thank you for your willingness to grow and cultivate peace in yourself and in your classroom and school.

Blessings to you.

May peace be with you.